Exile
by HopeCoppice
Summary: Bertrand has to go away for a while. Spoilers for s3. Implied one-sided Bertrand/Vlad if you squint.


**Yes, I keep churning these out. Part of the 'Du Fortunesa' series, which can also be found on AO3. Spoilers for series 3.**

It was almost a month after the Sethius incident that Bertrand realised things weren't going to fix themselves just like that. As usual, it was Erin who had been the catalyst for this reaction. He'd suggested a training session and the slayer had intervened, claiming the Vlad needed time to be 'normal' and that he would be spending the evening with her. The Chosen One had shrugged and disappeared off to class with the air of one who'd just dodged a bullet, leaving Erin to gloat. She seemed very keen to tell Bertrand that she and Vlad had been spending a lot of time together; that they had something special. "Have you ever felt like that about someone, Bertrand?" He had been sure there was a malicious gleam in her eyes as she spoke, and it had taken all his self-control not to lash out at her. It wasn't until later, after she had gone, that he realised just how close he had come to ruining everything for Vlad.

Not only would the boy have undoubtedly been hurt by the death – or even serious injury – of his... Bertrand supposed the word 'girlfriend' would not be out of place... but if he had struck out at her, the truce would have been shattered. The slayers would have attacked, war would have broken out again, and the Draculas would have been the first casualties. Vlad would be nothing more than a pile of ash, a casualty of Bertrand's foolish temper. That could not be allowed to happen.

If even a breather's meaningless taunts could bring Bertrand so close to betraying Vlad, destroying all his work, then he could not be trusted around the boy. He knew why he'd been so angry; he'd resented the implication that Erin was more important to the young vampire than Bertrand was, and however irrational that resentment was, it wasn't going to just disappear.

That was why he was here, standing outside Vlad's coffin room door, waiting for a response to his knock. The door swung open to reveal a clearly irritated Chosen One. "Bertrand, we don't have a training session because I'm hanging out with Erin, remember?" Bertrand's cursory glance into the room revealed several fairly smart shirts strewn across the sofa and a few discarded jackets, but no sign of Erin. The boy was still getting ready to go out, then. Good. "I won't take up much of your time." Vlad rolled his eyes, but let him in. "What do you want?"

Bertrand cast his eyes around the room before plucking a tie out of a pile of clothing on top of the coffin, holding it out to Vlad. "This one suits you." The Chosen One had already turned away, doing up the last few buttons of the shirt he'd evidently decided on, but he took the tie with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't come in here to pick out a tie." Bertrand sighed, watching his student fumble with the knot, obviously nervous about his date. He reached to help and Vlad obediently moved his hands out of the way. "No, I came to talk to you." He finished knotting the tie and straightened it carefully before stepping back. "I wanted to ask you for a leave of absence."

Vlad looked up from fussing over the tie, surprised. "Why? I mean... when?" Bertrand glanced away, wondering how long he had before Erin would expect to see her date. "There's something important I need to do, as soon as possible." The Chosen One nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. How long will it take?" Bertrand hesitated. How long would it take him to get over these dangerously possessive feelings? How long would it be before a single slight from Vlad didn't turn Bertrand traitor? He knew he could not return until he was in control. "It could be centuries."

Vlad frowned. "You can have one. I want you back here within one hundred years, alright?" The tutor bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement and stood for a moment, waiting for more instructions. "I suppose I'll have to find another tutor." The boy seemed a little perturbed by this, and Bertrand felt a fleeting doubt pass across his mind. "I'm not leaving your service. If you call, I'll come back. Do you want me to stay?" He wasn't just talking about the time it would take Vlad to find a new tutor, though he knew it was likely to be taken in that way. For a moment his student looked torn, but then he shook his head. "I want you to do what you need to do."

Cursing his own indecision, Bertrand took a few seconds to consider what he needed. He wanted to stay, of course he did; his place was with the Chosen One and always had been. What he needed, however, was for Vlad to be safe, and while Bertrand was around that couldn't happen. He shifted slightly towards the door, causing his protégé to look up from the piece of floor he'd been staring at. "I'll be back as soon as it's safe." Vlad's shoulders slumped slightly and his tutor felt terrible for disappointing him. Still, it was for the best. "Have a good date. Take care. Keep training." He made for the door before he could do anything stupid, like keep babbling, or change his mind.

"Bye, Bertrand. Don't get killed." He turned back to his charge. "I'll do my best. Goodbye, Vlad." With that he forced himself to turn and leave the school at a controlled, normal pace. He wouldn't go far, he decided; just far enough away that he wouldn't have to see Vlad every day. He was sure that if he got out of the school and pursued new interests, things would get better. He just needed to stop Vlad being everything to him; he needed not to revolve around him for a while.

He settled a mile from Garside, in an old, condemned library, and waited to stop thinking about Vlad.


End file.
